Brightcove inks social networking deals

The web video company Brightcove has signed distribution deals with five social networking services, responding to what it says is the demand from major publishers and broadcasters to reach a younger but more elusive audience.

Brightcove's video player services are used by media companies including ITV, Channel 4 and guardian.co.uk to publish video on their own sites.

Following the new social networking distribution deal, Brightcove's clients can choose whether to extend deals with existing advertisers to generate revenue from this.

They will also now be able to choose whether to extend distribution to make their content available to users of the fast-growing social networks on Bebo, Veoh, Slide, RockYou and Meebo.

Brightcove video will appear on selected channels on Bebo, in full-screen on the internet TV portal at Veoh and can be added by users to instant messaging tools on Meebo.

RockYou and Slide, both popular applications on Facebook and MySpace, will allow users to add Brightcove video content to their profiles.

ITV.com is using Brightcove to publish teasers for its new Gossip Girl show about teenagers on New York's Upper West Side, while Channel 4 is doing the same with Shipwrecked on Bebo.

Adam Berrey, the Brightcove senior vice-president of marketing and strategy, said both broadcasters hope to boost online and offline audiences for their shows by reaching a young and targeted demographic.

"It's definitely not a 'one size fits all' solution," added Berrey.

"Different companies need different variations, but there's a new generation of audiences aggregating media on social networking and video sharing sites. That's forcing creatives to think, 'there's an audience there, so how do I reach them?'"

Another Brightcove client, Weather.com, is looking to expand by distributing relevant video content through Bebo.

Sony BMG has been working with the photo and video display tool Slide so that users can add content from selected artists.

Berrey said that media companies will be more likely to focus on the web during an economic downturn because it is more accountable in terms of advertising and content.

"Companies will have to look at where they get the highest return in investment, and the web is more measurable than any other marketing platform," he added.

"Shifting online is the underlying trend in consumer behaviour; big broadcasters' online initiatives are not a huge expense but present a tremendous growth opportunity. We've been through all this before and the downturn will pass – the ones who come out will be the ones who made smart investments."

Media companies are experimenting with different forms of online video, some short-form clips, some longer, high-quality content and some used primarily for marketing and promotion.

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